Page 99 of Catch a Wave

“It was the winter of Shaka.

Kisses on your snout. Shaka, yeah you’re sloppy, you know.

Tangled in Mavs’ sheets, ah you lucky dog, you know.”

I giggle and Bodhi looks up, his face turning a shade of soft red.

“Hey. Uh. How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to hear your new chart-topper.”

“Hmm.” Bodhi hums and walks over to me. “Everything good with you and Kai?”

“Yeah.” I smile up at Bodhi as he wraps his arms around my waist and tugs me close. “Really good. He wanted to talk about me surfing. And he agreed to back off a little.”

“Kai did? He said he was backing off?”

“Not backing off, off. But yeah. A little less Mother Gothel. A little more of him allowing me to let my hair down and come out of the gilded tower.”

“That’s awesome. And for the record you’ve always struck me as more of a Moana than a Rapunzel, but I’m good with either.”

“You are, are you?”

“Mm hmm.” Bodhi bends and kisses my nose and then my jaw and then he places a tender kiss on my lips. I loop my hands behind his neck and run my fingers through his hair.

When we pull apart, Bodhi says, “I think I’m going to be riding the high of your surf sesh for quite a while. It felt so good to be out in the water with you again.”

“It did, didn’t it?”

“Yeah. It really did.”

“So … Lei called. She’s got a thing with Vans in Huntington Beach. She’s sending me the details. I think I’m going to meet her there.”

Bodhi’s face morphs from open and relaxed to a forced neutrality.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Definitely. Of course.” He smiles again, but it feels scripted.

“And I’m going to do the interview with Megan.”

Might as well dump all my big decisions in one fell swoop.

“You are? Are you sure?”

“Yes. Megan’s right. Someone’s going to tell my story. It might as well be me.”

Bodhi runs a hand down my hair. “You kill me, babe. Bravest woman I know.”

He places a kiss on my temple and tucks me into his chest so my head rests under his chin.

I almost blurt out the three words I haven’t said to Bodhi since the day of his accident. I’m feeling so much love for him right now I can barely contain it. Love and hope. My life will go forward. I’m going to surf. I don’t know how far I’ll take it, but I’m going to call Dan and see what he says. I know he’ll let me call the shots. If I want to go big again, we’ll work up to it. If I want to stay on smaller waves and compete that way, we can make that happen too.

And Bodhi is here, holding me. I know we can make a future together. Maybe not the future we had always dreamed of—but maybe. Today, I believe anything’s possible.

Bodhi’s phone buzzes on the kitchen counter.

“I made coffee. Grab a mug while I see who’s texting me.” He picks the phone up and mutters, “Jammer. That man won’t take no for an answer.”

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